locate - Fast File Search in Linux
From the Linux Essential Commands cheat sheet · Search & Find · verified Jul 2026
locate - Fast File Search
Quickly find files by name using pre-built database
bash
# Search for file
locate filename.txt
# Case-insensitive
locate -i filename.txt
# Update database
sudo updatedb
# Limit results
locate -n 10 filename.txt✅ Much faster than find (uses database)
💡 Run updatedb to refresh file database
🔍 May not find recently created files until updatedb runs
searchlocatefast
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